Author: Stacey Feeney

Multifamily Social Media Summit 2024 Guide for Creative Marketers

Written by Stacey Feeney on March 10, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Marketing. 1 Comment on Multifamily Social Media Summit 2024 Guide for Creative Marketers

Multifamily marketers, the 2024 MSMS (Multifamily Social Media Summit) is just around the corner! We look forward to it every year. Attending a conference can be a huge investment, and planning out your personal schedule can help you see everything you want, and help you prioritize which after-hours events will help you make the connections your company needs most. As much as we love the literal wining and dining that comes with attending a conference in Napa Valley, there’s a wealth of multifamily knowledge to tap that could (maybe?) be more complex than the cabs here.

Make the most of attending 2024 MSMS with our super-quick picks of the best topics, speakers, and sponsors we think you should add to your must-see list.

Thankfully, MSMS is set up in a way that you won’t miss a session—you don’t necessarily have to pick a track and jump back and forth between agendas. The group stays together! If however, you need to grab a nap, a snack, or get a little fresh air, you can follow our guidance and go see the speakers and topics we think will be most helpful for thoughtful branding and top-notch marketing of your communities.

Multifamily Social Media Summit 2024 Top Topics

The 2024 agenda for MSMS is full of Gen Z-focused social media strategy and plenty of discussion of AI—how it can help (and we’d assume, how it might not).

Keynote speaker Jay Acunzo is a creative coach, author, and his mission is to “help others make what matters.” (Sounds like we might have something in common with him!)

Also, given that we’re focused on apartment brands, the other topics we’re most interested in seeing are:

How to Reimagine Storytelling for your Multifamily Properties to Increase Engagement, Drive Growth and Social Search

Workshop #4

Wednesday, March 20

4:45-5:30pm

With Lindsay Calabrese, General Manager, Creator Network at the Arena Group

Expected Takeaway:

Discover influential residents to collaborate and co-create together for mutual growth
Creative ways to partner with local small businesses to increase community engagement
Create engaging content to dominate social search

Why It’s Our Pick:
As an apartment brand-focused creative agency, we know copywriting is at the heart of your verbal identity. Finding new ways to creatively tell your brand’s story, quite simply, excites us!

The Urge to Act: How to Stop Shouting into the Void and Get Bigger Results with Content that Connects

Keynote

Thursday, March 21

9:15-10am

With Jay Acunzo, Cofounder, Creative Kitchen

Expected Takeaway:

How to compete on the power of your ideas, not the volume of your content
A storytelling structure to amp the efficacy of your words, wherever you show up
How to produce higher-impact content, without magically adding resources

Why It’s Our Pick:

Finding a way to connect with every segment of residents and leads is vital to a brand’s bottom line. Producing content that provides quality over quantity is a lesson anyone can draw from.

Google Tips and Strategies

Friday, March 22

11-11:45am

With Riva Akolawala, Account Manager, Google

Expected Takeaway:

Learn which key metrics to look for when assessing ads campaigns
What 3rd party Cookie deprecation in 2024 means for advertising
Enhanced Conversions FAQ
Best Practices for Google Ads: which assets and creative to use

Why It’s Our Pick:

Google continues to be the key to a powerful online presence, but using Google Ads can be overwhelming. With some guidance, your brand could capture your target resident using paid search.

Multifamily Social Media Summit 2024 Speaker Picks

There are a few to choose from, but these were the ones that stood out to us!
Our picks have a variety of experience, both steeped in the multifamily industry, and in parallel industries. We pulled the following speaker’s bios straight from the 2024 MSMS website:

A 15-year industry professional, Alex Abernathy serves as Executive Vice President at Asset Living. His primary responsibility is overseeing global portfolio marketing efforts with both centralized national and specialized regional teams. Asset Living’s Marketing Service is a vital component of their company vision – continuing to serve our industry, communities, and partners as the most trusted partner in real estate. Asset Living employs over 7,000 real estate professionals and operates over 1,600 communities which consists of over 230,000 units.

Alex’s experience includes Multifamily, Student, Build-To-Rent, Affordable, Co-Living, and Active Adult, with industry knowledge and experience spanning 200+ real estate markets nationwide and international markets including Canada, Mexico, UK, Bahamas, Colombia, and UAE. Additionally, Alex dedicated two years to transforming a Houston-based software development firm into a full-service digital product / marketing agency, Poetic, specializing in Real Estate MarTech and Marketing Services.

Speaking on:

Wednesday – 2:30-5:30: Executive Summit on AI
Thursday – 2:45-3:30: Everything You Need to Know About TikTok

Delany Duke serves as the Director of Digital Services at Landmark Properties – overseeing the social media and online presence of 80+ student housing properties across the US. Her team is an integral part of Landmark’s corporate marketing department, keeping a pulse on the everchanging world of social media marketing and creating easy-to-learn tools and methods for leasing professionals to utilize social media to increase their leasing velocity while creating meaningful customer experiences.

Delany began her career in student housing property management when she was a freshman at The University of Central Florida in 2014 – first as a part-time community ambassador and then as a full-time management position in new development marketing post-graduation. Throughout this time, Delany gained 5+ years of in-the-field leasing and marketing experience that allowed her to grow her knowledge of digital marketing and how proper implementation of social media strategy can positively influence your property’s brand exposure.

Speaking on:
Thursday – 3-3:45pm – Workshop #2: Gen Z – They’re Coming! Are You Prepared?

2024 Must-Visit Sponsors

Zipcode Creative – Besides coming to see us at the Zipcode Creative booth, there are few other folks (sponsors at 2024 MSMS) we think you’d enjoy talking with—not only are they friendly, but they also have awesome solutions for apartment marketers. (P.S. Our services partner really well with theirs.)

Revyse – This community is an incredible resource where you can shop vendors before wasting a second on a demo call! We use Revyse to start conversations with folks interested in our help!

Engrain – Their interactive sitemaps are awesome—many of our clients supply our beautiful 2D map files to them as a starting point. (It’s all coming together.)

RESI – Known for their gorgeous websites, they’re able to make custom-looking branded sites (with all your brand style that we help establish) that still play nice with property management systems.

HyLy – Email and templates to reach your ideal resident? Hyly’s got it—and the branding we design for you is easy to fold in with their CRM system.

Apartment Geofencing – After we’re done making your branding beautiful, you can get on the advertising train with super-smart digital ads, getting in front of exactly who you want.

Show My Property – Visual branding—beyond your shiny new logo from us—needs beautiful photography to round out your marketing collateral. Enter: Show My Property.

Social Kapture – Steadily creating your community brand is easier with Social Kapture, with custom content and smart social media strategies. Establish your brand here and it will work hand-in-hand with your digital and physical collateral.

Organizing Your 2024 MSMS Schedule

Choose your top speakers and topics, write them down on a schedule. It’s easy to get blinded by the bright lights, but keep your focus and go to what you think will be most helpful for you and your company.

AFTER-HOURS EVENTS

A few questions to ask yourself before you say yes to that event invitation…
1) Does it align with your needs and what you’ve set out to accomplish at this conference?

2) Will it help you connect the dots and partner with a new vendor?

3) Will you meet other like-minded industry folks with similar roles who you can relate to / vent with?

Buuuuuut..let’s say you’re an introvert. Go for the smaller events. And definitely ask vendors personally what they may have going on.

If you’re an extrovert, maybe the larger events will work out better for you—more power to you!

Sometimes choosing the small after-hours events will help you make stronger, deeper connections because the gathering is more intimate, and you’ll be able to hold a conversation with the decision makers and the folks who want to connect with you (rather than woo you with fun parties). This can keep you from getting lost in the mix.

Can’t-Miss Events for the Quintessential Napa Experience

We’re so excited to be co-hosting two amazing excursions on the first and last days—they’re by invitation only, and they have limited space. If you’re interested in attending, please reach out ASAP!

Wednesday, March 20

Invite Only

10am – 1:30pm
Group Size: 40

Location

Meadowcroft Winery
Folktable Restaurant
Cornerstone Gardens

Hop on a bus with us from Meritage, then enjoy a glass of sparkling wine upon arrival to Folktable Restaurant & Meadowcroft Wines. Hearty appetizers will be served throughout as you sip white wine by the glass, and join a unique red wine-blending and bottling experience—you’ll also take home a custom labeled bottle as a souvenir. Mocktail tasting flights (with wines presented for smelling) will be available as an alternative. Attendees will then hear from Top Chef Contestant Chef Casey Thompson before touring the Cornerstone Gardens, weather permitting. The bus will drop visitors back off at the Meritage Hotel. (2.5 hour experience)

Friday, March 22

Invite Only

1pm – 8:30pm
Group Size: 45

Location

Turnbull Winery
The Saint Winery
Bottega Restaurant

Taking a bus directly from the Meritage Hotel, we’ll stop at Oakville Grocery for sandwiches, and eat en route to Turnbull Winery, where we’ll taste four special wines. Then we’ll stop at The Saint in St. Helena, tasting Night Wines (and others) while enjoying the venue for two hours. Dinner at Bottega in Yountville, with wine from Faust will round out the night, after which we’ll board the bus and return to the hotel. (7.5 hour experience)

Branding Apartment Emails for Prospects and Residents

Written by Stacey Feeney on March 3, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding, Graphic Design, Writing.

Your branding should be everywhere! It doesn’t stop with logos and brochures. You must bring your brand to every corner your communications and interactions reach, both digital and physical. And this certainly includes branding apartment emails for both prospects and residents of your multifamily community.

Emails are the perfect opportunity to showcase your brand to 1) remind people who “already know” and 2) attract and inform the people who want to learn more. Well-branded emails both establish and reinforce your visual and verbal identity, creating a connection between what is seen, understood, and ultimately, what’s experienced by your residents.

We can hear you already: “But it’s just an email.”
Yes, and one sub-par or off-brand email can ruin the progress you’ve made with the rest of your branding efforts. Go all the way.

Now, for the how of emails with excellent apartment branding.

Branding Apartment Emails for Prospects

Prospects need to be wooed. Make sure you’re using the right words and colors and don’t scare them away.

WHAT’S THE SUBJECT?

The subject line you craft should absolutely reflect your community’s brand and values. Is your brand voice funny? Crack a short joke. Is your brand voice serious? Bring that to the subject line, too. Everything about the email, starting from the subject line (that’s meant to get your readers to open it) has to align and be true.

MAKE IT PERSONAL

Adding in the recipient name, either into the subject line or into the greeting in the email can be a way to grab attention, and get your email opened. It may also be in your best interest to segment your emails and send different versions out depending on where the prospect is in the funnel. But that’s more marketing than branding. Whichever version you send out, make sure you’re highlighting the goods.

HIGHLIGHT THE GOODS

What goods? Simply outline (your community as) the solution to your prospects’ problems. There’s almost nothing better than a good listener—finding the pain points and solving them with your messaging and reminding them that you exist and why you exist can get leads one step closer to signing a lease.

ADD THE ELEMENTS

Have the end in mind before you begin your branding apartment email. The colors, fonts, and craft headers and footers must work within your apartment brand guidelines in order for it to be recognized and perceived as your apartment community’s brand specifically. It’s not an afterthought, but it will come right after you’ve got your content and messaging down.

Branding Apartment Emails for Current Residents

The emails you send current residents aren’t for introductions. They’re a chance to underscore what you’ve been doing all along. Particularly for current residents. Use email to update residents with community news, events, and initiatives that reinforce your brand—and what you care about most.

CONSISTENCY

With consistency comes trust, and with trust, loyalty. That’s a key part of getting renewed leases. The expectation for specific colors, fonts, logos and messaging points becomes the standard. If you deviate from the standard, it could jar your residents and cut your brand consistency off at the knees.

TEMPLATE USAGE

Easy way to brand your emails for current residents? The wonderful email template. Save a few versions, swap out the photos and content, and you are ready to go in a lot less time than it took you to create that first template. Don’t start from scratch every time. Time saver and it lowers the possibility that you’ll grab the wrong color or font.

STORYTELLING THROUGH BRAND NARRATIVES

Create your content outside of the email template and drop it in when it’s ready. By “ready” we mean it’s passed the verbal branding test. Does it sound like you? Does it communicate clearly? Does it include the thread of the brand narratives that you’re consistently weaving (thing values and vision)? If it doesn’t, take another crack at it before you drop it into the template. It’s a lot easier to edit and use comments from multiple users in document form, anyway.

EVERY EMAIL

Your community’s values and your brand’s mission should be tucked into every email, along with the visual aspects of your brand. Don’t take a day off. Don’t send an email that doesn’t look or sound like you, or it might get marked “spam”.

Email communication is your opportunity to insert your brand in the midst of your residents’ and prospects’ daily life. It shouldn’t be an afterthought, but instead, another extension of how far you can take your brand. Use it to strengthen relationships with current residents and to reach the people that don’t live at your community (yet).

Use your brand guidelines to create clear, consistent emails that could only ever be attributed to your community.

*The image in this post is ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

“Luxury” In Multifamily Has Gotten Tired

Written by Stacey Feeney on February 26, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding, Marketing, Writing. 1 Comment on “Luxury” In Multifamily Has Gotten Tired

We’re tired of luxury in multifamily. What once meant exclusive and the best-of-the-best, now seems surprisingly standard.

When multifamily overstates their offerings and over-inflates the descriptions of their usual or typical amenities, they’re not being truthful. And it doesn’t justify a super ridiculous rent increase, just because you’ve painted the cabinets and put in new countertops.

Problems with Claiming Luxury in Multifamily

Similar to the word “natural” in food packaging and marketing, there are no guidelines or rules around the use of the word “luxury” in the multifamily industry. It’s like hearing a movie is “must-see”, you go see it, and you come away from the theater annoyed and $15 poorer. When claiming an apartment community is “luxury”, there are no parameters, and suddenly it’s the dealer’s choice as to whether the community they’re advertising is actually luxury. There are at a handful of reasons using the term “luxury” for your apartments (when it’s not) is problematic; among them:

Prospect Distrust
Price Misalignment

PROSPECT DISTRUST

What they see (advertised) isn’t what they get? That sounds like a case of false advertising. When the prospect is shopping for a home, is attracted by the term “luxury” and comes to find an entirely different property class, quality level, and offering, there’s huge misalignment. The word “luxury” cannot be used for anything and everything. Being aware of your property class and branding accordingly will help your prospects get what they want, because it’s what they expect.

False advertising undercuts any rapport you can develop with your leads, and does not start the prospect relationship off on the right foot. Be upfront about what you offer. Be self-aware and be truthful. This doesn’t mean you can’t be creative—but you should still be clear on what kind of community you really are.

PRICE MISALIGNMENT

With everything costing a bit more than it used to, from groceries to housing—folks are on the lookout to find better deals and save money. If you use the term “luxury” there’s a decent chance that you’re either:

Driving away people who could afford you—because they didn’t even get far enough to see the monthly lease cost; OR
Attracting a clientele with very high expectations who will be disappointed with your offerings—because it’s not luxurious.

Work on reaching your ideal residents by being authentic with your brand, and telling the truth (by knowing what exactly you are and what you offer.)

Defining Luxury Properties

But what if you are a luxury apartment building? What if you do offer a lifestyle that goes far above and way beyond the typical?

Let’s figure out what luxury really means. (And while we’re at it, we’ll do a quick review of Class-A properties, too, to see how they align or compare.)

LUXURY

In general, luxury apartments offer high-end amenities, top-of-the-line finishes, and often expansive views from spacious balconies. They’re both conveniently located and bring convenience to the resident. Amenities of all sorts are found in the community that go above and beyond a pool and a clubhouse. If you have a pool and a clubhouse, you don’t get to automatically claim “luxe living”.

CLASS A

Typically Class A includes the highest-quality buildings on the market. This standard can vary depending on the city—but the buildings have typically been constructed within the last 15 years. The modernizing of a building through renovations may also help it become classified as Class A.

In short, luxury is more about the finishes, location, amenities, and square footage.

Class-A properties are merely defined by:

Age of the buildings—constructed less than 15 years ago;
Significant updates to an older building; and
Quality (top-tier) building materials.

Instead of Saying “Luxury” in Multifamily…

As a creative agency, it’s basically our job to tell you: be more creative. Multifamily, we can do so much better than saying “luxury”. Instead of saying “Luxury apartments” because the community is nice, use other methods.

USE ACCURATE DESCRIPTORS

Let’s kick the age-old “luxurious” and “sparkling pool”. Don’t even think about using “unique.” That doesn’t tell me anything different than the next community. Pivot. Focus on the special things you offer to your target resident.

Instead of “luxury” say “grand” or “indulgent”—if it really is.

Instead of “sparkling” pool, try describing it by the actual shape— “geometric” or “lap” or “oversized” to paint the full picture.

Instead of “state-of-the-art fitness center” be truthful—you don’t have 20 Pelotons in a row—or focus on the positives, like the fact that it’s open 24 hours or offers classes.

Most of all, use your messaging to create a picture for your leads. Beautiful photos help, too. (Show before telling.)

EMPLOY SOCIAL PROOF

Don’t just take our word for it. You’ll need to include other voices in your marketing, too.

Testimonials – Get a few residents that you know love your community. Have them share their favorite parts about the community. You’ll see amenities make the list here, and that will help leads latch on to what’s important for them, too.

Reviews – One-star and two-star reviews are a scary thing for any business—keep an eye on your review sites and see what kind of five-star reviews you can garner and share on your printed materials as well as on your website. When leads are concerned about finding “the truth” this is where they’re going to look.

Social Media – When everyone else goes “fake” you can go real. Give a few behind-the-scenes glimpses, and put some of your staff on camera to help answer FAQs. Repost photos and videos you’re tagged in. Participate and respond to connect with leads and current residents, and to give a better “concierge style” that extends beyond the front desk or leasing office.

CREATE A TRUE LIFESTYLE BRAND

Going for an “It’s super nice and you should live here!” vibe? Figure out how your brand would say it. In its brand voice. To its ideal residents. Creating a lifestyle brand apartment community can extend out to how you look and how you talk about yourself.

Community Sitemaps: The Most Beautiful and Compatible Solution

Written by Stacey Feeney on February 18, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding, Marketing.

Are community sitemaps glamorous? They certainly can be. A well-designed property sitemap is a beautiful and useful tool for your multifamily community. At Zipcode Creative, we’ve mastered the art of community sitemaps, knowing they’re key for communities to secure leases and show their professional side.

Why Our Community Sitemaps Are the Best

Not all community sitemaps are created equal. Some are basic and can lead prospects on an unintentional scavenger hunt. (Where is that dog park?) Others are clear, colorful, beautiful, and can be used in partnership with other helpful options, like interactive web-based solutions. Let’s dig into why choosing Zipcode Creative for your community sitemap might be the best choice you make for marketing your units.

BEAUTIFUL

There’s something about a well-drawn, beautifully colored sitemap that makes us feel at ease. A map that’s well labeled, correct, and attractive draws the eye, and will likely draw in your prospects, no matter where you put it, from the leasing office to the welcome packet. What’s our secret sauce? We’re a team of designers—so we know how to choose colors that work, icons that are clear, and fonts that are just right.

COMPATIBLE

Our 2D sitemaps are best printed as handouts or signage. They aren’t an interactive web solution, BUT they ARE compatible with providers who do create interactive sitemaps. For example, Engrain or Beans.ai can take our vector-based design files and pull out exactly what they need to work their magic in making the sitemap interactive. These interactive sitemaps can work wonders on your property website or on a tablet or touchscreen in your leasing office.

USEFUL

We’ve talked about how useful sitemaps are, right? The best way to help both your prospect and your new residents feel at ease is to give them the literal lay of the land—through a sitemap. By providing a comprehensive view of the way the property is laid out, they’re more likely to explore everything that’s available to them. (Not just a pretty picture anymore, is it?)

How Sitemaps Are Helpful for Leasing

Your prospect is about to sign a lease. They pause, pen on the line, and look at the sitemap. They see where their apartment is. They see how close the pool is. They see the clubhouse and the tennis courts. They scribble their signature and voila, you have a new resident.

FOR PROSPECTS AND NEW RESIDENTS

For both prospects and new residents community sitemaps help them understand the property layout at a glance and give an overview of the property. Things like how many units there are, how far away the dumpsters are, or where their parking spot is are all revealed with a sitemap. Have it on hand for lease signings to help close the deal, too.

TOUR ASSISTANT

As self-guided tours continue and in-person tours resume, a sitemap helps guide the touring prospect to the available unit. For both guided and independent tours, knowing where they are in relation to the clubhouse helps them focus on other important bits, like how often one can expect resident events. The sitemap should point out the leasing office, and other relevant areas (the BBQ area, the basketball court, the garages, the dog park, the pool)—any area amenity that might have drawn them to your community should be listed and identified.

A sitemap creates a sense of welcome for your new resident—when you provide a printed version, you can circle their unit, their parking spot, and how best to get to the leasing office or clubhouse from their door. It’s similar to arriving at a resort—the front desk always gives you the lowdown on where things are and when they’re available.

Community Sitemaps: The Perfect Marketing Tool

Sealing the deal, yes—but also getting them in the door to begin with? An excellent use of a sitemap.

SHOW THEM THE STUFF

Sitemaps are an ideal visual representation of your multifamily community. With the easel set up, community sitemap on display, you can show visually which units are leased or reserved—this is perfect for pre-leasing (set up a little supply-demand) a new construction. Use the sitemap in your:

On a 2’x3’ sign
In your welcome packet
Brochures or handouts

Use it on your website, too. That’s where prospects are going to find out more. Everytime you put the sitemap out, you’re showcasing everything (external) that’s good about your space: Green areas, trees, community amenities, ample parking, and accessibility.

By helping visualize the overall appeal of the property, you can generate interest from prospects. Get their attention and increase the number of inquiries that you may get from potential residents.

Zipcode Creative Sitemap Options

We at Zipcode Creative offer two distinct property sitemap options. Both in full color, they differ in where the details are drawn from; one’s high-end and one is more basic. They are both beautiful—but we’ll let you see that for yourself.

COMMUNITY SITEMAP (GOOGLE MAPS)

Our (satellite view) Google Maps-based property map showcases building units, the clubhouse, your interior and outdoor amenities, parking, landscaping and more.

COMMUNITY SITEMAP (ARCHITECTURAL)

This one is based on your architectural plans or blueprints. It showcases building units, the clubhouse, your interior and outdoor amenities, parking, landscaping, and more. If we can, we’ll include the interior layout of the clubhouse, too.

Is Zipcode Creative “The Sitemap Agency”?

Well, yes and no. You might be tempted to start thinking of us as the “sitemap people” but that’s far from everything we do. We’re capable of so much more. Why do so many people come to us for sitemaps? It’s our designer eye. It translates into technical maps just as well as logos and social media graphics.

But sitemaps are the least of what we do. We’re realllllllly into branding. If your apartment community isn’t a brand, we are here for you.

BRANDING IS OUR MAIN JAM

The branding work we do begins and ends with multifamily. It’s our jam.
Naming apartments? Absolutely. Coming up with brand identity statements? Of course. Crafting color palettes, fonts, and logos that signify all that is Your Brand? Our favorite. We love to take apartments and help guide them into becoming a full-on lifestyle brand. Let’s get busy creating.

And if you need a sitemap in the mix, we’ll do that too.

Ways You’re Breaking the Graphic Designer’s Heart

Written by Stacey Feeney on February 8, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding, Marketing.

Every time you open a word doc to create a design, a graphic designer knows and sighs. Unbreak every graphic designer’s heart by knowing the rules, best practices, and really, the greatest guidance for your multifamily designs.

With graphic design, it’s easy to make “mistakes”—but the worst part of making those mistakes is that a whole lot of other people are going to see those mistakes as well, when you put them on your flyers, your mailers, your postcards, and your banners. (Let’s hope they don’t end up on a billboard.)

Here are the mistakes we most commonly see. Don’t get down if you’re doing these, but…definitely commit to either fixing them or finding a graphic designer who already knows how to avoid these mistakes.

#1: Poor Image Choice

Whether stretched, squished, or cropped improperly, forcing a photo to fit in a space it can’t is bound to look strange. It looks unprofessional and will turn off the viewer pretty quickly.

DISTORTION/STRETCHED IMAGES

Stretching the image because you don’t know how to crop? Start learning! Often an email builder requires a specific image dimension. Stretching an image to fit is never a good look.

Do this instead: Crop or use clipping masks to help it fit into a space or shape. No distortion, no problem. Be sure to follow the rule of thirds as you crop, too.

BAD STOCK PHOTOS

This one isn’t hard to fix. But it’s sometimes hard to avoid if you’re not experienced with the wide set of options for stock. There are so many better stock photo options now. Avoid becoming a meme-worthy brand—avoid the stock photos that look like stills of the “Before” videos in infomercials..the woman opening a cabinet full of tupperware lids, the man cutting his hand on a can lid, the elderly lady getting tangled in a blanket.

Do this instead: Find better stock photos by paying for them and finding ones that look like natural people—i.e. not a white backdrop in front of an overly emotive person. Out with the ‘cheese’, in with the authenticity.

#2: Too Many Typefaces

Repeat after us: The typefaces you use should be no more than three in number, and should visually complement each other when used in the same design. Again, no more than three types of font.

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FONT PSYCHOLOGY

This one is so complicated, we did a whole blog post on font psychology. There’s plenty to consider when choosing a font. Serif, sans serif, script, decorative. And choosing one that will align with your brand (and what you want to communicate) is vital. When you have more than three fonts, it may make the viewer feel a little ill at ease.

Do this instead: Choose three fonts max. One of our favorite tips is to use one font and choose a few different weights (thin, semi-bold, extra bold, and the like). And pay attention to how you’re using the fonts—with a proper hierarchy of headline, sub-heads, and body text.

#3: Bad Colors

Certain color combinations remind us of specific types of things. Red and yellow? Fast food and hotdogs. Green and yellow? Cheeseheads.

Colors impact what we feel, pretty easily. Did you know, for example, that red is associated with strong, passionate feelings—cupid’s hearts (or depictions of the devil) anyone? Color psychology is very real and should definitely be a factor when you’re creating any of your graphic designs. And make sure they fall within or work well with your community brand’s color palette.

BAD CONTRAST

Beyond color choice, the contrast must also be considered. The text on the background must be readable—it can’t be dark if the background is dark, and it can’t be too similar to the color in the background.

TOO BRIGHT/JARRING

Think neon’s fun? Make sure you’re using something to offset it. If you use too many different colors (kind of like using too many fonts) it will cause visual chaos.

Do this instead: Take some time to understand the color wheel and make smart color pairing choices, ensuring that you keep the variety to a minimum and include varying shades of light to dark to accomplish your goals.

#4: Busy Busy Busy

Speaking of visual chaos, you also have to determine which elements you’re going to use and which ones should be the most important. You must create a visual hierarchy in order to broadcast the message you need to.

NEGATIVE SPACE

Leave a little room for imagination. This can help you give the viewer a sense of relief—there’s room to breathe. Negative space also makes the important things stand out more. Similar to the idea of contrast, the empty space highlights the things that are there.

WORDS VS. IMAGES

Use both words and images, allowing images to speak plenty, and keeping the text to the minimum of what’s required to tell your message.

Do this instead: If you’re creating a piece with both typography and imagery, the images should take precedence. As they say, they’re worth a thousand words. Much more space-efficient, right?

WORDS VS. IMAGES

Use both words and images, allowing images to speak plenty, and keeping the text to the minimum of what’s required to tell your message.

Do this instead: If you’re creating a piece with both typography and imagery, the images should take precedence. As they say, they’re worth a thousand words. Much more space-efficient, right?

#5: Wrong Again

Designing in a bubble? Pop the bubble and make sure someone else sees it before it goes to print to prevent any easily edited mistakes to be fixed

THAT’S JUST WRONG

You forgot to proofread? Oh, no. Now your whole design is for nothing. When folks find a typo, that’s all they can think about. Make sure you have a second and third set of eyes on it. Sometimes it’s not even that a word is misspelled or misused, but rather that a letter has a design effect on it that has made it appear like something else. Get a second opinion, always.

TRENDS OR TIE IT ALL TOGETHER?

Trendy is fun. Not necessarily timeless. However: all designs must work with the brand identity. (If you don’t have a brand identity, be sure to get one!) If you have a trend that could work with your brand identity and it’s not super distracting, by all means—catch the ideal resident’s eye!

Brightly colored minimalism is fun, and asymmetrical layouts are intriguing. There’s certainly a right way and wrong way to use these—use your designs to tie everything together.

Do this instead: Working through your visual identity and ensuring it all aligns will be best for your visual identity’s longevity. Find your style, and do your best to stick with it.

Bottom line here is, if you’re DIY-ing your designs, any mistakes you’ve made…you did it to yourself.

Let us save you from poor design choices by guiding you in the right direction; we’ve been doing it long enough to spot mistakes a mile away!

Contact Zipcode Creative for graphic design without breaking anyone’s heart.

Resident Appreciation Month is Here and it’s Marketing

Written by Stacey Feeney on February 5, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

February is Resident Appreciation Month! Fewer people are buying homes, so while staying in a community is the path of least resistance—it should be more than that. Residents renewing their lease should be filled with comfort! Multifamily communities everywhere should be preparing for this (and have some portion of their budget to dedicate to it, as well.)

The truth? Without your residents, you’d be an empty building—so it’s time to bolster your resident experience and boost your resident referral program. And give a few gifts while you’re at it! Have fun with it and make this a month to remember, and set the tone for the way you appreciate residents the rest of the year.

The Rationale Behind Resident Appreciation

You might be thinking: They live here, we fix what needs fixing, we have an easy-to-use online portal—why do we have to do more for them? Remember—your resident appreciation costs are marketing expenses! This is because it’s all part of your big genius marketing ploy to retain residents and attract new ones. Still want some ideas? We got you:

REMIND YOUR RESIDENTS

This is home for your residents—not just a unit! You were the community of choice for some reason or another. The hope is that your multifamily brand attracted them and your customer service (rooted in your brand’s mission and vision) kept them there. This is an opportunity to help them remember why they chose to live at your community, and you can sweeten their “remembering” when it comes time to renew the lease.

You can also remind your resident of you who are at your core. Your brand is gentle, eco-conscious, and modern? That zero-waste-experimenting resident will appreciate being reminded that your “Fix It Group” is gathering in the clubhouse later that week.

How to Show Your Residents Appreciation

GIVE A GIFT

This doesn’t have to be something exorbitant. But thoughtfulness is great. You can communicate appreciation for your residents through gifts. Get creative, but try to give them something they would want. From a gift card to a local coffee shop to a little treat, here are some simple and effective ideas:

#1 Locals Only – Gift Card to Local Spot

A gift card to the coffee shop around the corner? Perfect. It helps you nurture your neighborhood relationships, and spotlights the best things in your community.

#2 Sweet Things – Grab-and-go Goodies
Valentine’s Day is also in February, so put out a self-serve candy bar with cute bags in the lobby. Brand the bag with your logo, and add a note that says, “Having You Here Sure is Sweet!”

#3 Taking Care of Business – Small Plant
And taking care of a small succulent or little plant in a pot is an adorable way to add life to an apartment for your residents, and remind them that you hope they’ll thrive in your community, too.

BETTER EXPERIENCES = BETTER RENEWAL RATES

It’s not a like-for-like comparison, but wouldn’t you rather do business with a brand that is well-known for its responsiveness and outstanding customer service? Taking your residents into account when you make updates and launch initiatives is going to create a kind of “gift that keeps on giving”. Consider a few value adds:

Streamlining a maintenance system, creating an option that’s less intrusive
Retrofitting the apartments for energy efficiency (great for eco-conscious and budget-conscious residents alike)
Upgrading to smart home tech with doorbell cameras and touchless key entry systems
Adding or upgrading the dog park (if Fido’s happy, everyone’s happy)

Everything we listed above can and likely will be added to the “Pros” side of the pro-con list they may be making when deciding to renew! Tilt it in your favor.

1: You have a resident referral program and it’s working well.
Nice! Keep it up. And remind your residents what they can get from you when they refer a friend successfully.

2: You have a resident referral program and it’s not really working.

Time to revamp. Offer something a little better and market the rewards with branded materials. Include plugs for the program in your emails to residents, and in flyers for welcome packets.

3: You don’t have a resident referral program.
This is a perfect opportunity for you. Hone your brand message and try kicking off the referral program with an event. “Bring a Friend for a Barbecue!” or “Happier Hour With Friends.” (The trick is to plan an event that residents and their friends would want to attend.)

When you have events or advertise your program, ensure there’s enough reason to support the resident’s referral (they must love it there and/or the reward must be great!) and there must be reason enough for the referred friend to want to live there, too. Referral programs aren’t one-size-fits-all, but you can check our blog for more detailed ideas behind expanding your word-of-mouth.

Resident Appreciation Recipes for Success

Equal parts brand consistency and clarity will get you to the next level with your resident appreciation. This means that everything—giveaways, events, and reward flyers must be branded and tell the same story lof how your community has solved the problems of its residents and it will continue to do so. And when your research leads you to a specific IRP you can get that much more specific with your branding and your messaging.

Need extra help? Reach out to Zipcode Creative—we appreciate your residents, too.